Canadians Driving the Netherlands 2026: Bikes Have Priority

What does a Canadian need to drive in Holland? Less than you might fear. The Dutch government lets visitors use a foreign licence on holiday, and the 185-day limit you may read about only starts once you move to the country. On top of your provincial licence, Global Affairs Canada says you should carry an International Driving Permit. RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, gives the reason: it advises an IDP where licence categories use names other than the European A to E, and Canadian classes do. CAA issues the permit; pick it up before you leave.

Checklist for the glovebox:

• Canadian licence, valid for the whole trip
• IDP from CAA
• passport
• age 18 or over, the minimum Ottawa lists for driving a car

Same side, same numbers, different priorities

You keep right, as at home, and Global Affairs Canada rates Dutch roads and road safety excellent. The speed figures look familiar too:

Where Canada and the Netherlands part ways is who goes first. Ottawa’s advice lists the order:

• cyclists have priority over other traffic
• trams have priority, except where signs at major junctions say otherwise
• buses have priority when pulling out of a stop
• unless signs say otherwise, traffic from the right goes first

That last rule surprises Canadians most. A small side street on your right can have priority over the road you are on, with no stop sign to warn you. Watch for the white triangles painted across a lane: they mark the side that must give way.

Bikes come from places you don’t expect

Dutch towns carry far more bicycles than Canadian ones. Cyclists ride in separate lanes beside the road, and those lanes often run on the far side of parked cars, so a right turn means crossing a stream of bicycles coming from behind you. Check the right mirror and look over your shoulder every time. Open your door only after a look back, too.

Global Affairs Canada adds that bike paths often run beside sidewalks and are not always clearly marked. On foot, you can wander onto one without noticing. Trams sometimes share pedestrian streets, so stay alert near rails.

One more rule that catches visitors on foot: pedestrians must obey traffic lights at junctions. Crossing on red, even with nothing coming, can earn a fine.

What Dutch tickets cost

Ottawa warns that traffic offences can bring heavy on-the-spot fines. The Dutch prosecution service publishes fixed amounts, and an administration charge of EUR 9 is added to each:

• 10 km/h over on a motorway: EUR 87 (EUR 28 at just 4 over)
• 4 km/h over in a built-up area: EUR 37
• 11-20 km/h over: around EUR 165-187
• 21-30 km/h over: around EUR 329-368, with a court summons possible above that
• handheld phone: EUR 440
• red light: EUR 320
• no seatbelt: EUR 190

Dutch speed cameras catch small margins, so a few kilometres over is enough. If a ticket reaches you in Canada after the trip, read who pays driving fines abroad.

Less room than the Criminal Code gives

The Dutch limit is 0.5 per mille (0.05%), and 0.2 for drivers in their first years. Canada’s Criminal Code line is 80 mg per 100 ml. If you are used to having one drink and driving home under 0.08, the Dutch limit leaves less room.

Emergencies and more

112 for police, fire and ambulance. The Netherlands driving guide has the full rules, the Speeding Fine Calculator estimates other cases, and the Driving Permit Checker covers Belgium, Germany and the rest of your route.

Sources

• Global Affairs Canada, Netherlands travel advice (carry an IDP; age 18; priority for cyclists, trams, buses and traffic from the right; bike paths; trams in pedestrian streets; pedestrians must obey lights; on-the-spot fines): travel.gc.ca
• Rijksoverheid, foreign licences (holiday use; 185 days after moving to the Netherlands): rijksoverheid.nl
• RDW, driving with a foreign licence (IDP advised where categories differ): rdw.nl
• Rijksoverheid, 100 km/h on motorways from 06:00 to 19:00: rijksoverheid.nl
• Openbaar Ministerie, Boetebase and Feitenboekje 2026 (fixed fines for speeding, phone use, red lights and seatbelts; EUR 9 administration costs): boetebase.om.nl
• Wegenverkeerswet 1994, article 8 (0.5 and 0.2 per mille): wetten.overheid.nl
• Criminal Code of Canada, section 320.14 (80 mg per 100 ml): laws-lois.justice.gc.ca